What The "Two State Solution" Has to Do with the Rise of Islamic Extremism: Zero

The "Arab Spring" did not erupt as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather, it was the outcome of decades of tyranny and corruption in the Arab world. The Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans and Yemenis who removed their dictators from power did not do so because of the lack of a "two-state solution." This is the last thing they had in mind.

The thousands of Muslims who are volunteering to join the Islamic State [IS] are not doing so because they are frustrated with the lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

The only solution the Islamic State believes in is a Sunni Islamic Caliphate where the surviving non-Muslims who are not massacred would be subject to sharia law.

What Kerry perhaps does not know is that the Islamic State is not interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at all. Unlike Kerry, Sunni scholars fully understand that the Islamic State has more to do with Islam and terrorism than with any other conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's claim that the lack of a "two-state solution" has fueled the rise of the Islamic State [IS] terrorist group reinforces how clueless the U.S. Administration is about what is happening in the Arab and Islamic countries.

Speaking at a State Department ceremony marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, Kerry said that the resumption of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians was vital in the fight against Islamic extremism, including Islamic State.

'Forget ISIS... let's talk more about a Palestinian state.' Above, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry greets U.S. Special Representative to Muslim Communities Shaarik Zafar during an Eid al-Adha reception on Oct. 16, 2014 at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. (Image source: State Dept.)

"There wasn't a leader I met with in the region who didn't raise with me spontaneously the need to try to get peace between Israel and the Palestinians, because it was a cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation," Kerry said. "People need to understand the connection of that. And it has something to do with the humiliation and denial and absence of dignity."

The U.S. State Department later denied that Kerry had made the statement attributed to him.

"What [Kerry] said was that during his travels to build a coalition against the Islamic State, he was told that should the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be resolved, the Middle East would be a better place," Harf explained.

The Islamic State is one of the by-products of the "Arab Spring," which began as a secular revolt against Arab dictatorships and degenerated into anarchy, lawlessness, terrorism and massacres that have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Arabs and Muslims.

The "Arab Spring" did not erupt as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Rather, it was the natural and inevitable outcome of decades of tyranny and corruption in the Arab world.

The Tunisians, Egyptians, Libyans and Yemenis who removed their dictators from power did not do so because of the lack of a "two-state solution."

Nor did the Arabs revolt because of the failure of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. This is the last thing these Arabs had in mind when they took to the streets to protest against decades of dictatorship and bad government.

It is this "Arab Spring," and not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Egypt. And it is the same "Arab Spring" that saw the emergence of Islamic terror groups such as the Al-Nusra Front, the Islamic Front, the Army of Mujahedeen, Jund al-Sham and, most recently, the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

The rise of the Islamic State is a direct result of the anarchy and extremism that have been sweeping the Arab and Islamic countries over the past few years.

The thousands of Muslims who are volunteering to join Islamic State are not doing so because they are frustrated with the lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. They are not knocking on the Islamic State's doors because they are disappointed that the two-state solution has not materialized.

Kerry is anyway naïve to think that the jihadis believe in something called a "two-state" solution. The only solution the Islamic State believes in is the one that would lead to the establishment of a radical Sunni Islamic Caliphate across the Middle East where the surviving non-Muslims who are not massacred would be subject to sharia law.

Not only is the Islamic State opposed to the "two-state solution," it is also opposed to the existence of both Israel and a Palestinian state. Under the new Islamic Caliphate, there is no room for Israel or Palestine or any of the Arab and Islamic countries.

Had Kerry studied the goals and ideology of the Islamic State, he would have discovered that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not even at the top of the group's list of priorities.

In fact, the "liberation of Bait al-Maqdis" [Jerusalem] is ranked sixth among Islamic State's objectives.

The group's first goal envisages stirring chaos in the Arab and Islamic countries.

Second, the group will move on to what it calls "management of savagery" in these countries.

Third, Islamic State will embark on the process of establishing an Islamic Caliphate.

Fourth, it will proceed with "liberating neighboring countries and expanding the size of the Islamic Caliphate.

Fifth, the group will start the process of "liberating the Islamic countries," including Bait al-Maqdis.

Obviously, Kerry must have missed the speech delivered by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last July.

Al-Baghdadi did not talk about the "two-state solution." Nor did he call on Muslims to join his group because of the lack of progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Instead, al-Baghdadi told his followers that, "Allah likes us to kill his enemies, and make jihad for his sake. O Allah, give Islam victory over the disbelief and the disbelievers, and give victory to the mujahideen, in the East of this earth and its West."

What Kerry perhaps does not know is that the Islamic State is not interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at all. The terrorist group did not even bother to comment on the last military confrontation between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The failure of the Islamic State to express solidarity with the Palestinians or Hamas during the war drew strong condemnations from some of the Arab world's leading columnists.

"What is shocking and strange is that the Islamic State and other terrorist groups that claim to speak on behalf of Islam did not make a single move as Israeli planes were shelling civilians inside the Gaza Strip," remarked Egyptian columnist Jamil al-Afifi. "Nor did any of their wise men come out to condemn the ruthless killings (in the Gaza Strip).

Kerry did not reveal the identity of the "leaders" who told him that the absence of peace between Israel and the Palestinians was a "cause of recruitment and of street anger and agitation" in the Arab and Islamic countries.

What is clear, however, is that Sunni scholars do not seem to share Kerry's assessment.

Last month, over 120 Sunni scholars issued an open letter denouncing the Islamic State and its religious arguments. "You have misinterpreted Islam into a religion of harshness, brutality, torture and murder," the letter said. "This is a great wrong and an offence to Islam, to Muslims and to the entire world."

Needless to say, the scholars did not mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a cause for the rise of Islamic State.

That is because unlike Kerry, the Sunni scholars know that the Islamic State is completely unrelated to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And unlike Kerry, the Muslim scholars fully understand that Islamic State has more to do with Islam and terrorism than with any other conflict.

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17 Reader Comments

James • Dec 13, 2014 at 21:48

If the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has any bearing at all on the Islamic extremists, it is the bringing of the United Nations into the Middle East. The Islamic extremists want the UN to go against Israel, and then they want the UN to be turned against Europe, the Americas and after that the rest of the world. For the Islamic extremists, the UN can either cease to exist or help put as much of the world under Muslim Sharia law. If the UN is going against Israel, the Islamic extremists are not going to complain and in the end it does not make much difference to them.

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John Klein • Oct 21, 2014 at 20:39

What ? You mean you don't understand that the State Dept. and its Secretary sometimes speaks in direct contradiction of a President's statement ? Read a little history. The State Dept. often has its own agenda, especially during tenure of a Democratic President. Kerry is not a stupid man. He understands cause and effect. If he chooses to bind a two-state solution in the Middle East with the conceiving of ISIS, he must have something in mind. Only a stupid man would think that a Sunni directed Caliphate has anything to do with the Palestinian situation. The same goes for the recognition of a Palestinian State by Sweden, Denmark or any other country. It is a salute to the flag and means nothing, it is the description of life according to Macbeth "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

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arthura • Oct 21, 2014 at 20:12

the Obama/Hillary/Kerry administration was the first to declare the "settlements" as ILLEGAL, the first to officially use the term "occupation" and to repeatedly claim that the "settlements" were the obstacle to peace. The Obama/Hillary/Kerry admin has placed the blame for the failure of peace solely on the shoulders Israel and Netanyahu. The Fact that Rabin, Peres, Sarid, Beilin, Ramon,Barak, Olmert, Livni, as well as Netanyahu were unable to reach an accord with the PA. Maybe just maybe some of the blame belongs to the PA. Obama/Hillary/kerry have become the worst enemies of Israel empowering some of the most extreme Islamist groups. Hear anything about Libya or Tunisia lately??

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Dian (Dina) Grossman Kjaergaard • Oct 21, 2014 at 09:49

Kerry should tell these oh-so-spontaneous Arab leaders to grow up and let go of their constant feeling hurt, humiliated, victimized, and helpless because Israel exists.

He should challenge them to grow up.

And he must be reminded that the tactic of deflecting attention from corruption and tyranny in their own midst has made the world a much more miserable place - for Arabs and Israelis alike. This tactic can apparently no longer stave off revolutions, but clinging on to it as simply not acceptable.

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Ilana Goldstein • Oct 21, 2014 at 03:16

Israel has been the scapegoat in the Middle East for decades. If only the Arabs would emulate Israel instead of trying to destroy it the Middle East would be a fantastic region. The Americans are behaving like the British during the Palestine Mandate.

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Dajjal • Oct 20, 2014 at 14:03

"Should the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be resolved" is a code phrase for the extinction of Israel. 'Resolution' entails politicide and genocide.

I sympathize with Mr. Kerry for having to talk at the State Department reception "for the Eid el Adha festival". After all he had to be nice and sympathetic to his guests. I would expect him to be nice to his Christian guests at the State Department reception "for the Easter festival" – except that there WAS no such reception, as there was no State Department reception for other Christian holidays, and no State Department reception for Jewish holidays or Buddhist holidays.

Perhaps Kerry had to make this reception as a gesture towards his boss. Poor Kerry, Sycophant Kerry.

"Ignorant Kerry"? "Wicked Kerry"?Mr. Kerry seems to have said: Israel should make sacrifices for peace to remove one of the issues which are used by Radical Islam to draft people into their murderous and dangerous organisations. This may seem reasonable – if one does not consider what the "sacrifices for peace" entail: seriously endangering the life of every Jewish Israeli. The demand to return to the 1967 borders – the Auschwitz borders – when nearly ALL Muslim media call for the destruction of Israel – is an illogical idea, and those who call for such a solution are people who call for enabling the next holocaust. Kerry cannot claim innocence of the calls for the destruction of Israel by the political leaders of Arab states, and the call for the murder of all Jews by the Imams of Mosques all over the world.

Mr. Kerry's call for endangering the lives of the Jews in Israel would, perhaps, be reasonable to Jew-haters IF the Arab-Israeli conflict was the only cause of the Islamic Jihadi murderous intents. But SURELY Mr. Kerry knows that for so many Muslims, radical or not, while Israel is the "Small Satan", THE USA IS THE GREAT SATAN, and once Jihad has rid the world of the Small Satan, it will make even greater efforts to overcome and subdue the Great Satan. Perhaps before Israel is asked by Mr. Kerry to commit suicide, Mr. Kerry will let us know what efforts the USA will make [after - God forbid - the end of Israel] to stop the emboldened Jihadists from killing the millions of Chrisitans in Europe etc.?

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steven L • Oct 20, 2014 at 12:22

Seriously speaking, the two state solution has nothing to do with anything in the Islamic world. But Israel has the moral high ground by default if need be. Therefore Israel must always act ethically! We need to remember: the light to the Nations. But that does not imply that Israel must commit suicide to satisfy the "barbaric or lack of ethic" of other nations.The Muslim world inflexibility must be matched with Israeli inflexibility. Israel is always the one who has the most to lose. Forever, Israel will remain the David facing Goliath!

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Pythias • Oct 20, 2014 at 11:55

Whilst it is true that the rise of IS had little or nothing to do with the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinians, it is not true that fighting Israel is the last thing on its mind. They have shorter term goals but a goal certainly is the freeing of Palestine: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Islamic-State-vows-to-reach-Palestine-and-kill-the-barbaric-Jews-372796

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David M • Oct 20, 2014 at 09:32

What constantly amazes and dismays me is the total ignorance about Islam, radical Islam, Islamic State and all the other Islam-related issues about which our embalmed State Dept. seems to know nothing! The old "Arab Desk" at State is probably still trying to figure out how Saudi oil can be protected for future use.

The Leftist philosophy that has ruled State since Obama's clean sweep has given rise to some very strange conclusions and behavior, e.g., Kerry's recent ignorant remarks linking IS to the Israel-Palestine conflict. What depth of knowledge he displayed!

That Kerry doesn't get stomped on by the White House is further evidence that it shares his upside-down views on the Middle East.

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Bob Rabinoff David M • Oct 20, 2014 at 16:08

It is pretty overtly anti-Semitic and has been since long before the founding of the State, actively thwarting attempts to save Jews from Europe and denying them entry to the US, all with Roosevelt's connivance. Know thine enemy. It didn't start with Obama, although he has certainly exacerbated the situation.

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Howard • Oct 20, 2014 at 09:26

The days are darker now than ever before, but there is a reason.

In 1916 the British and French with the help of Russia created what ISIL are fighting for today, With the SYKES PICOT agreement, also known as the Asia Minor Agreement. They lied to the Arab world. T.E. Lawrence was sent to the Arab world to make an agreement to help get rid of the Ottoman Empire, but back in Britain and France they lied in order to restore and maintain the trade route from the east, as it was being disrupted by the tribes and leaders of the Empire.

After destroying the Empire they created countries and put in place the own choice of leaders (dictators), who were able to keep relative peace among there people. There are so many tribes with the Arabs.

Also, the Persians were causing problems with the freedom of movement in the trade route. The USA had nothing to do with this agreement, they were dragged into the WW1 only after one of there ships were sunk. Obama knows all to well what the end game is that is why he started the breakdown of the tribes. His speech in Egypt then Libya and so the break up of the tribal leaders role started to erode. Get rid of the head and the body has no direction, Obama was in on this from get-go that is why he still refers to them as ISIL, because he knows what the L represents LEVANT. HE HELPED USHER THIS EVENT WITH FULL KNOWLEDGE. That is why he is so slow to react, the Levant is greater Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel.

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MikeKu • Oct 20, 2014 at 09:00

A story I heard about the relevance of the Israel-Palestinian situation is a bit different than what the Secretary spouted off. A few years ago when a high level official, say the Secretary of State visited Saudi Arabia and met with the King, the discussion went something like this: For 30 seconds the King spoke about the Israel-Palestinian situation and then he said, "And what are you going to do about Iran?" So what Kerry says about the Israel/PA conflict is not wrong, but it's certainly not the priority of the Arab world and certainly does not take into account the disappointment and disillusion that the Arab people have with their leaders and their lack of freedoms. Part of course relates to Sharia, but that's another story.

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Richard Sherwin • Oct 20, 2014 at 07:42

It seems that everyone except the USA and European governments/parliaments and UN know all this. So why are they talking and acting the nonsense they do? The Arabs know they're fools, we think they're intentionally maliciously playing dumb. Which makes them de facto dangerous even more than real consciously evil behaving actors like Erdogan and Khamenei and whoever's running Qatar and Saudi Arabia these days. And even the countries that know there's no connection between ISIS types and the Israeli-Palestinian dispute are so caught up in The Protocol of the Elders of Zion in addition to their Islamist ideologies that they dare not think beyond it. Which leaves most pragmatic Middle Easterners no platform of truth to stand on. Which leaves them too vulnerable to the next bunch of mad butchers beheading whoever will give them viral or prime time exposure.

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karen • Oct 20, 2014 at 07:18

If the likes of Kerry are running our world, God help us.....stupid men!!!!

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Americanmom karen • Oct 20, 2014 at 11:54

I am so tired about hearing about the Palestinian problem. That problem was and is caused by the refusal of Arab countries to take in their brothers and give them full citizenship. Egypt could easily give Egyptian citizenship to the Palestinians in Gaza and Jordan could give citizenship to the Palestinians in the West Bank. Just like Israel gave citizenship to all the Jews kicked out of their Arab lands. The problem is a creation of the Arab world and has been used ad nauseum over and over again. The fact that the Europeans and Americans still want to verbally attack Israel while thousands of rockets are flying into Israeli civilian territory (over the summer), westerners are being beheaded, thousands of innocent people are being butchered by ISIS, girls and women are being raped and placed into sexual slavery, etc. is quite shocking. How can we still focus on the tree when the forest is on fire? Just reading some of the excellent articles on this site reveals the insanity going on in European cities where politicians (in the Netherlands for example) have to spend a decade in police protections because of Muslim threats, Muslims are trying to enforce Sharia law in cities in the UK and Germany, Europeans are being brainwashed to go fight with ISIS (and are coming back home after their butchery). It is insane.